Melania Trump cancels campaign trip due to 'lingering cough'

First lady Melania Trump canceled plans to travel to a campaign event Tuesday in Erie, Pa. File Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI
First lady Melania Trump canceled plans to travel to a campaign event Tuesday in Erie, Pa. File Photo by Michael Reynolds/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 20 (UPI) -- First lady Melania Trump canceled plans to attend a campaign rally for President Donald Trump on Tuesday due to a "lingering cough" from her bout of COVID-19, her chief of staff said.

Stephanie Grisham said the first lady is still recovering from her illness, nearly three weeks after her diagnosis.

"Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from COVID-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today," Grisham said.

The event in Erie, Pa., Tuesday night would have been the first lady's first campaign event since the president's White House speech as part of the Republican National Convention in August.

Melania Trump said last week she tested negative for the novel coronavirus after experiencing a "roller coaster" of symptoms, including body aches, cough, headache and fatigue. She said she chose a "more natural route" for her treatment, focusing on taking vitamins and eating healthy foods.

She also said the couple's son, Barron Trump, tested positive for the virus, but has since tested negative.

The president, meanwhile, was hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for three days after experiencing some breathing troubles brought on by COVID-19. Doctors treated him with an experimental antibody cocktail by Regeneron and remdesivir, an antiviral originally created to treat the Ebola virus.

Donald Trump is expected to give remarks at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Erie International Airport before returning to the White House.

Scenes from the White House as coronavirus hot spot

White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern speaks to members of the White House press corps about the status of President Donald Trump's health as he recovers from coronavirus outside of the West Wing of the White House on Wednesday. Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo

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